Society

Tunisia-Saghiri: Farmer today produces milk at cost surpassing two dinars per liter and sells it for 1,340 mil!! “

Male farmer pouring milk in canister at dairy farm with cow in background

The situation of the Tunisian farmer today is extremely challenging, due to several considerations, the most prominent of which is the high cost of production, which surpasses two dinars per litre, compared to selling it for 1,340 millimes, Director of the Animal Production Unit of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries, Munawar Al-Saghiri told Tunisie Numérique.

Further, Al-Saghiri pointed out challenges linked to the availability and increased prices of rough feed due to climatic conditions in the country. Moreover, he stressed the impact of high prices for compound feed, which are influenced by the global market. These factors contribute to the overall difficulties faced by Tunisian farmers in maintaining production and sustaining their livelihoods.

The same source added that these factors made the farmer suffer and struggle to continue production, commenting that many farmers have left the production ring and others have tended to decrease the herd. Our speaker also emphasised that these factors reduced milk production at the breeder level, which resulted in a shortage of this substance in the market.

He called for the need to adopt price dynamics and state intervention to adjust prices and feed subsidies, particularly since this is a matter of national sovereignty and it is crucial to preserve the jobs available in the countryside and the production system.